The Camping Trip
by Jonchp99
Summary: Jon and Ponch take the girls on a camping trip. A quiet weekend out hiking and camping, what could possibly go wrong? Continues from my previous fics Race Against Time and Unspoken Fears. Adult language and situations.
1. Chapter 1 - Making Plans

Author's Notes:

This story follows on from my previous fics "Race Against Time" and "Unspoken Fears." To follow the characters and events in this new fic it would be best to have read the others, but as they were published some time ago I'll give a quick summary of what happened.

Race Against Time:

Jon and Ponch go missing and the race is on to find them. They have been assaulted and locked in an old shipping container by a gang of bank robbers. Both have been injured, Jon quite badly. The story follows the drama in finding them, their release and recovery. Jon's wife Cassy finds out she is pregnant at the same time she learns of their disappearance. The story also follows the gang as they escape, hide out and eventually are captured. The gang consists of Steven "Butch" Williams, Mark Smith, Ricky Punter and Mark's nephew Jason Smith. Jason makes a phone call to CHP which is answered by Cadet Kellie Waugh, this phone call is important to this new story.

Unspoken Fears:

This continues the story two days after Race. Ponch is having trouble dealing with what happened, he's not sleeping well and feeling guilt over his actions in the shipping container. He meets Kellie who is also dealing with her guilt. Butch and Mark are in jail where Mark is visited by Jason who tells his uncle what his father has planned.

The Camping Trip

Chapter One: Making Plans

Officer Frank Poncherello put his pinch book away and turned towards his partner. "I know it's your turn to pick Jon, but do we have to eat there?" he whined.

Jon Baker sat astride his motor, observing his partner. "I don't see what the problem is Ponch, you love that place."

"Yeah, I do," Ponch agreed. "But I know what you're up to."

"What am I up to?" Jon asked innocently, his blue eyes twinkling.

"You know." Ponch pointed his pen at him.

"Tell me." Jon smiled, knowing exactly what his partner was on about.

Ponch slipped his pen in his boot and flung his leg over his motor. He tried to stay mad but looking at his friend's cheerful exterior made it impossible and he broke into a wide grin. "All right, we'll eat there but I'm not going next door with you. People are gonna start talking if we're seen in there too often."

Jon laughed. "I do have a legitimate reason to be there."

"Yeah you do but I don't. I've got a reputation to uphold you know."

Shaking his head Jon chuckled. "That reputation of yours is fading Ponch. I can't remember the last time I saw your eyes pop out over some woman."

Adjusting his black gloves Ponch grinned at his partner. "I haven't felt the need to ogle women lately." He strapped up his helmet and started the motor. "The past three months with Kellie have been..." he paused searching for the right word.

"Wonderful?"

"No that's not it... oh yeah it has been wonderful," he added quickly seeing the look of surprise on Jon's face. "I've been enlightened."

"Enlightened?"

"Yeah enlightened. I'm finally seeing what a good relationship is all about. You know, where there's give and take on both sides, and I'm not the only one going out of my way to please someone."

"Finally," smiled Jon. "You know, I've never seen you happier. Hang on to this one Ponch."

"You like her?"

"Yeah I do." Jon slipped his motor into gear as he checked the freeway for traffic. "Much better than Michelle," he said as they pulled out into the road.

"Anyone would be better than Michelle," Ponch agreed with a smile, pleased that his partner liked Kellie, for he had no intention of letting her get away.

They travelled along the Santa Monica Freeway, enjoying the pleasant spring morning. After the drama of their capture and imprisonment back in January, the partners were relaxed and living life to the fullest. Ponch was delighted in the way his relationship with Kellie was progressing, and he was finally free of the guilt he felt over Jon's injuries. While Jon had recovered fully with no after affects and was looking forward to impending fatherhood.

It was a Tuesday in the middle of April, trees and flowers were in full bloom making this the prettiest time of the year. It was warm enough to be wearing short sleeve shirts, but not yet hot enough to wish you were elsewhere. They pulled over another speeding motorist and decided it was time for lunch.

Jon called in that they were out of service as they exited the freeway and headed down South Central Avenue. Five minutes later they pulled up in front of Dukes Coffee Shop.

"Your usual Ponch?" Jon asked as he removed his helmet.

"Nah, I'm gonna try the hot ham and cheese on sourdough bread today."

Jon's eyes shot up in surprise. "You really are enlightened, aren't ya? I was sure you'd be having the beef burger special."

Ponch laughed. "Change is good, Jon."

"Very true," he agreed, as he went inside to get their orders.

They sat outside at one of the tables, and talked about the best plays of last night's baseball game as they ate their lunch. The Boston Red Sox had defeated The New York Yankees, nine runs to seven. It had been a close game with The Red Sox getting ahead in the last innings after a home run by their star hitter.

Finishing his hot turkey sandwich ten minutes later, Jon wiped the gravy from his mouth. "How was it?" he asked, watching as his partner licked his lips.

"Delicious," Ponch smiled. He put his napkin down and glanced at his watch. "So are we going next door?" he inquired. "We've got time."

"Thought you weren't going in there, what with your reputation and all," Jon grinned.

"I can't let you have all the fun, can I?"

Jon chuckled as he threw his rubbish in the trash bin. "You're just a big kid, Ponch."

They walked along the sidewalk to the brightly painted building next to the cafe. Green walls, red lettering and yellow smiley faces made The Baby Store not easily forgotten. Inside mobiles hung from the ceiling, diapers filled an entire shelf and every type of crib available was there to purchase. Ponch immediately headed for the toy section while Jon went in search of strollers.

Jon found what he was looking for and was busy checking out the features of a stroller when Ponch returned. He had several items in his hands and a big grin on his face.

"You've got to get one of these, Jon," he said, holding out a blue and yellow lawn mower adorned with a duck and pink teddy bear.

Jon looked up from where he was squatting down having a closer look at the wheels on the stroller. He shook his head. "No Ponch."

"But Jon, when you push it along the balls inside bounce around and make noise. Look I'll show ya." He put the mower down and pushed it along. "See, isn't that great? The baby would love it."

Standing up to his full height Jon shook his head again. "No." He saw what else Ponch was holding. "No to the piano and no to the jack-in-a-box. We're here to look at strollers."

Ponch pouted. "So the yellow duck is okay then?" He held up a duck that Jon hadn't noticed.

Jon rolled his eyes and grinned. "All right you can get the duck if you want, but I need your help here."

"My help?" he looked puzzled. "I don't know anything about strollers Jon. Anyway shouldn't Cassy be here with you?"

"She's leaving it up to me. We looked at this one and that one over there on Sunday." Jon pointed to another stroller. "She was feeling queasy so we left before we decided."

"They look the same to me." Grabbing the handles of the closest one Ponch wheeled it along. "It moves and there's a place for the baby. Take this one."

"Yeah, we liked that one." Jon nodded. "But it's harder to fold up than this one."

"Take that one then."

"But the one you're holding has got better wheels."

Ponch shook his head. "I'm going back to the toys, it's more fun over there."

"No, come on partner I _really_ need your help." Jon glanced at his watch. "We'll both be in trouble if we don't get back out there."

Seeing that Jon actually did seem frustrated, and that they needed to get back on patrol, Ponch thought for a moment. "Okay. Can Cassy fold the one you've got up by herself?"

"Yeah"

"And where is she going to be using it the most?"

"Walking to the park and the shops, I guess."

"Mostly on the sidewalks?" Ponch asked.

"Yeah," Jon smiled. "So what you're saying is that we should forego the better wheels for the ease of handling."

"You got it partner."

"You know Ponch; for once I'm happy to say you're right. Now for the most important decision: blue or green?" he tried not to laugh seeing the look of horror on his friend's face as he reached for the easier folding blue stroller. "Just kidding, we both like the blue one."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ponch patted his partner on the shoulder. "Thank goodness for that, I'd hate to see you in the dog house over the colour of a stroller."

"Me too," Jon agreed as he wheeled the stroller to the counter. He filled out the Lay-away docket while Ponch bought the yellow duck. Both left the store smiling and headed out on patrol again.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Jon put his pinch book away and looked at his partner. "What is it with them today? No sooner do we deal with one speeder and there's another one."

"I know what you mean," Ponch replied. "How's about we head back in, do the reports and call it a day?"

"Good idea."

They headed for Central, travelling along the Santa Monica Freeway before exiting at Hoover Avenue.

"You got any plans for this weekend Ponch?" Jon asked while they waited for the traffic lights to change.

"Not at the moment," Ponch answered. "What'd ya have in mind?"

"Cassy and I were thinking about going camping. Would you and Kellie like to come too?"

The lights changed and they got moving again.

"Ah I don't know Jon." Ponch glanced across at his partner. "I'm not sure that camping and I go together."

Jon chuckled. "You'd enjoy it Ponch. We know a pretty little spot near Tujunga, Cooper Canyon Falls. There's a lovely creek there and a waterfall as well as hiking trails."

Ponch looked doubtful. "Sounds nice...I think."

"Give it some thought and let me know." Jon shifted down a gear as they came to more lights. "I was thinking that it might be a good way for the girls to get to know one another better."

"So you've noticed it too." Ponch glanced over at his partner and could sense his frustration and concern.

"If you mean that Cassy isn't exactly comfortable around Kellie, then yeah I've noticed."

"Kellie is trying so hard Jon, but Cassy..." Ponch hesitated, not sure if he should go on. After all this was his partner's wife they were talking about.

"You can say it Ponch."

"You know I love Cassy, but she seems to have a blind spot where Kellie's concerned, and that's not like her. She's usually so willing to give anyone a chance."

"I know," Jon sighed.

They turned left at the next corner and went through the gates of the station; parking their motors they removed their helmets.

Staying on his motor Jon rested his hand on the windshield and looked across at his partner. For the first time that day his blue eyes weren't twinkling. "I'm beginning to worry about her. I can understand why she wasn't keen on Kellie to start with as she went through hell while we were missing, and she blames the time delay for some of that. I had hoped that over time she'd forget about it and get to know Kellie for who she is."

"And what's that?" Ponch asked, curious.

Jon smiled. "A lovely woman who is bringing out the best in my partner."

"You really do like her, don't you?" Ponch said, realizing that it was important to him that Jon did indeed like her.

"Yeah Ponch, I do. More than any other woman you've dated in a long time, and while Cassy is her own person and entitled to her own feelings, I really wish she'd see Kellie differently."

"Thanks Jon, that means a lot to me. Do you think going camping would change things?"

Jon shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? But a change of scenery and some time alone could work wonders."

"Time alone?" Ponch looked puzzled.

"Yeah," Jon grinned. "You and I go off hiking for a couple of hours and leave them to it. The one thing we can't do is push the issue as they have to work through it themselves."

Ponch chuckled. "You're one sneaky partner at times, you know that?"

"I try." Jon patted Ponch on the shoulder as they headed inside to do their reports.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Two days later Jon picked Ponch up in his blue truck for a shopping expedition. Kellie had agreed to the camping trip, but they needed supplies before they left tomorrow afternoon after work.

"What do you need?" Jon asked as they drove along.

"I don't know," Ponch answered perplexed. "I told you Jon, I know nothing about camping."

"Have you got a tent, sleeping bag and a backpack? That'll do for starters."

Ponch grinned. "I've got a backpack."

"Well that's a start. I can borrow a tent for you but you'll need a sleeping bag. Has Kellie got one?"

"Her brother is lending her one and a blow up mattress he's got."

"That's good, we'll start with a sleeping bag then."

Jon pulled into the parking lot at Ted's Camping Store and they went inside. Ponch looked around at all the different equipment, his mouth agape.

Chortling, Jon patted him on the shoulder. "We don't need all this stuff, Ponch. Head over to the sleeping bags in the back corner and I'll be with you in a minute."

Ponch wandered off glancing at the shelves as he went. There were water bottles of all shapes and sizes, tents large and small, lamps, chairs and tables, and it went on. He stopped at the portable toilets and showers, picking up one of the shower bags he wondered how it worked. He turned it over, puzzled and didn't realize Jon was now standing next to him.

"It works like this, Ponch," Jon said suppressing a chuckle. Turning it around he held it up. "You hook this end in a tree, fill it with water and the water comes out here."

"Oh, that makes sense. You got one of those?"

"Nah" Jon shook his head. "We're only going for two days; we can make do with the creek."

"So, I'm guessing that there's no toilet as well."

"You got it partner," Jon chuckled. "Come on let's get you a sleeping bag."

As they headed over to the sleeping bags, Ponch wondered how he was going to survive two days out in the wilderness. He could deal with anything the city threw at him but the thought of no toilet or shower just wasn't appealing, and sent shudders through him. Glancing over at Jon who was busy looking at the bags he silently applauded his best friend's enthusiasm. Feeling bad that he was out of place here, he had a vision of Jon at a disco or karaoke bar, and all of a sudden the world seemed a lot brighter. He grinned.

Jon stared at him. "You okay, Ponch?"

"Never better Jon, horses for courses you know. You found me a bag?"

"Yeah, this one unzips all the way round. If Kellie's got the same sort you can zip them together."

"And make one big bag?" Ponch asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, it does get cold at night," Jon grinned wickedly. "You need all the warmth you can get."

"True." Ponch nodded. Suddenly this camping trip wasn't looking so bad.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Camp Site

Chapter Two: The Camp Site

Standing still Jon took a deep breath. The invigorating smell of the forest in front of him filled his senses, giving him a renewed vitality. He needed to get away from the city every once in a while to recharge his batteries.

Cassy got out of the truck and joined him. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he smiled, pulling her close.

They were parked on a ridge, Friday afternoon, waiting for Ponch and Kellie to arrive. Below them was the valley and clearing where after a fifteen minute walk they'd be setting up camp. Wild flowers were in abundance throughout the pine forest, the grass was lush and green, and they could hear the trickle of the creek as the water flowed over the rocks.

Another truck pulled into the parking area; a Ford, red in colour with a broken tail light and a crack in the windscreen. Two men got out. The driver was in his early forties Jon thought as he glanced at him. Light brown hair, brown eyes and a scar down the left side of his face. He was about six feet tall while his companion was a good six inches shorter. Black hair and small beady eyes, he had an unkempt appearance and a distinct odour. Stale tobacco mixed with body perspiration.

They acknowledged Jon and Cassy with a sly grin and a nod of their heads. "Nice time of the year for a bit of hiking isn't it?" the taller of the two said as they began to unload their gear from the back of the truck.

"Yeah," Jon agreed.

"You and the missus going hiking too?" the man continued.

"Nah, just a bit of camping," Jon said cautiously. He'd noticed the way the other man was staring at Cassy and instinctively drew her closer.

"Enjoy yourselves," he smirked. They flung their backpacks over their shoulders and headed down the trail.

Jon observed them for a moment. Seeing that they were going in a different direction to where they were headed, he relaxed. Kissing the top of Cassy's head he leaned against the truck and looked at his watch. Why was it that his partner was never on time he wondered with a grin on his face?

Cassy giggled. "He wouldn't be Ponch if he was on time."

"How'd you know?" Jon chuckled.

"I can read you like a book, and besides you looked at your watch," she grinned."

"Oh, can you now?" Stepping away so he could look at her properly, Jon grinned wickedly as he stared at her. Wearing knee length navy shorts and one of his tee shirts, which was too big but gave room for her expanding stomach, blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail and blue eyes shining, she never failed to ignite feelings in him. "So, what am I thinking now?" he asked, with a glint in his eyes.

Looking him up and down, Cassy smiled. She knew that look he was giving her and it thrilled her like nothing else did. "That you wish we were in our tent, alone," she breathed deeply.

"God you're good," he groaned, reaching for her. He kissed her deeply, hands sliding down to rest on the swell in her middle. He felt her hands on his buttocks the same time he heard the car pull up. Reluctantly he let her go and whispered in her ear. "We'll finish this later."

Ponch got out of his Firebird grinning widely. "Sorry partner didn't mean to cramp your style."

Jon grinned. "We were just filling in time while we waited for _you_."

"Sorry Jon," Kellie smiled as she joined them at the rear of the truck. "But you know what he's like."

"Yeah I do." He rolled his eyes and they all laughed.

Jon opened up the back of the truck and proceeded to unload their gear. "Ponch, I could do with some help here," he said, glaring at his partner who had wandered to the front of the truck. "We have to get going."

Ponch turned around. "You didn't tell me it was this beautiful, Jon. Ya know I think I'm actually gonna enjoy this."

"That's good Ponch, come and get a backpack on your back would ya? Then you can enjoy it."

They loaded up, Jon and Ponch taking the heaviest backpacks along with the tents. Kellie had a smaller pack and two water bottles, while Jon wouldn't let Cassy carry anything heavier than two folding chairs and a light backpack.

With the cars locked up they headed off, with nobody noticing the green Cortina station wagon that had pulled in and parked next to the Firebird.

Jon led the way down the narrow trail, Cassy behind him with Ponch taking the rear. The path meandered through the pine trees, every step taking them closer to the trickling water they could hear. It was a pleasant walk, the sun peeped through the trees here and there, while birds chirped from every direction. +

Ponch smiled as he took in the sights and sounds. Maybe he could get the hang of this after all.

They arrived at the camp site fifteen minutes later where the creek could be seen as it ran through the clearing. About six feet wide it bubbled over a splattering of granite rocks. Jon stopped at the remains of an old camp fire and slipped his backpack off.

"What do you think, Ponch?" he asked.

"Nice," Ponch nodded as he looked around.

The clearing was roughly the length of a baseball field but only half as wide. The forest surrounded it on all sides and trials could be seen going off in all directions. An outcrop of rocks was up one end making the perfect wind break, and wild flowers were growing along both sides of the creek. The site was large enough for several groups of campers but they were the only ones there.

"What do we do first partner?" asked Ponch.

"You really haven't been camping much, have you?" giggled Kellie. "We've got to get the tents up first."

Jon chuckled. "Listen to her Ponch and you won't go wrong."

"I always do." Ponch winked at Kellie. "Or else she might be tempted to use her cuffs on me."

"You wish," she grinned.

Newly promoted, Officer Kellie Waugh was relaxed and enjoying herself. She'd finally put the drama of three months ago behind her, and she was especially delighted with the progress of her relationship with one Frank Poncherello. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and hazel eyes sparkled as she watched Ponch and Jon discuss where to pitch the tents. She loved the amity between the partners and wondered how she could've ever been nervous over meeting Jon. He'd brushed away her apologies without a second thought and the phone call was never mentioned again.

"Wouldn't it be safer to have the tents closer together?" Ponch asked, worried about the possibility of snakes or other creepy crawlies in the middle of the night.

Jon was setting his tent up on a flat piece of ground not far from the creek, and he wanted Ponch opposite with the campfire in between them. "We could, but..." he lowered his voice. "I'm sure the girls would appreciate a bit of distance between us."

Ponch smirked as he realized what Jon was going on about. "You got unfinished business or something?"

"Maybe," Jon grinned, looking in the direction of his wife who was sorting out the tent pegs. He never tired of gazing at her, and at four and a half months pregnant she'd never looked lovelier.

Cassy felt his eyes on her. She glanced up giving him a warm smile and felt a shiver run down her back at the look he gave her. She ran her tongue slowly around her lips and smiled seductively back at him, giggling when he looked away. It was hard to believe that it was not much more than three years since she'd first met him, and she couldn't imagine life without him, which was why she struggled to accept Kellie as Ponch's girlfriend. It went against the way she was brought up, and she hated herself for it but she just couldn't move past the fact that Kellie's mistake could have cost Jon his life.

The tents were up, sleeping bags rolled out and chairs unfolded. It was looking like a camp site. Ponch surveyed the area with pride, erecting the tent hadn't been as complicated as he'd thought. Jon sent him off to collect firewood with Kellie while Cassy filled the water bottles. Before long Jon had the campfire going and a pot on to boil water. They settled down on their chairs while they waited.

The sun had begun to set transforming the sky into a living, breathing work of art. Every imaginable shade of red, pink and orange was visible. Kellie passed around the trail mix she had brought along, and they munched away happily as they enjoyed the brilliance of the ever changing scenery. Jon made them each a cup of coffee after the water had boiled and silence descended as they drank the hot steaming drinks.

"That wasn't bad, Jon," Ponch said as he finished his cup. "It's better than that instant stuff back at the station."

Jon chuckled. "Anything's better than that stuff. So what do you think of this camping so far?"

"Surprisingly I'm enjoying it, but I've gotta say I'm disappointed in you Jon."

Three sets of eyes stared at him and he laughed. "How many years have we been partners? And you've only now managed to get me out here."

Jon grinned. "You know me, never one to rush things."

Next to him Cassy giggled and put her hand on his knee. "Now that's not always true, hon."

"Why?" Jon looked puzzled.

"Have a look at me." She patted her stomach. "Married just six months and already pregnant."

"You can't argue with that one partner," Ponch chortled.

"No I can't," Jon agreed. "Nor do I want to. We might not have planned this but we couldn't be happier."

"Ponch told me about your visit to the baby store the other day," said Kellie. "That, I would have loved to have seen, the pair of you in full uniform pushing strollers around."

Cassy stared at her husband in shock. "Jon, you didn't tell me you were there while you were on duty."

"We were on a break," Ponch said quickly.

"Did Jon drag you in there during lunch, again?" Cassy said sternly, but Jon could see the twinkle in her eyes.

"Maybe..." Ponch answered.

"Actually Ponch, wasn't it _your_ suggestion in the end to go there?"

"Maybe..."

Cassy giggled. "Relax Ponch, I know you both like going in that store, but I'm not sure who enjoys it more, you or Jon."

"He does," they said together. The partners looked at one another and burst into boisterous laughter, promptly followed by the girls.

As stomachs started to rumble they decided it was time for dinner. They'd brought frozen steaks for tonight which Ponch got ready while Jon heated up the pan. Vegetables were thrown in the pot and dinner was underway. Cassy organized the plates and eating utensils while Kellie rinsed the coffee cups and refilled them with water.

"For a simple meal that was delicious," Ponch said as he licked his lips, after having eaten everything on his plate.

"There's something about eating outdoors that makes everything taste different," agreed Jon. "It reminds me of that old lady cooking her bacon outside."

"That bacon," grumbled Ponch. "I still don't believe you ate the bacon."

"Are you still going on about that Ponch?" Jon said, amused. "It was what? Four years ago?"

Cassy giggled. "You'd better fill Kellie in," she said, seeing the confusion on the other woman's face.

"We had a call out about some smoke, and when we got there we found this lady cooking bacon over an open fire," explained Ponch. "And God it smelt good."

"It was," chuckled Jon.

Ponch glared as he continued on. "We helped her put the fire out and I did the right thing and escorted her up the hill, and what did he do? He-"

"Ate the bacon," Jon and Cassy said together, laughing.

Turning towards Kellie, Ponch nodded. "Yeah that's exactly what he did, ate every last piece of it. Some partner he was that day."

Jon laughed. "You win some, you lose some. Talking about food, what about those two detectives whom we helped solve their drug case, and the ice-creams they left on our motors."

"Only it wasn't tutti fruiti," added Ponch. "What was that flavour?"

"Strawberry wasn't it?" Jon grinned as he remembered. "That was a good result, jumping out of a plane to catch those crooks."

"You did what?" exclaimed Kellie, eyes nearly popping out of her head.

"We sky dived out of a plane," Ponch said matter-of-factly.

"And how did two California Highway Patrolmen end up jumping out of a plane to catch crooks, may I ask?" Kellie queried, not believing what she'd heard.

"Easy," answered Ponch.

Taking a sip of water he told, with Jon's help, how a car stripping racket entangled them with the detectives, and led them to jumping out of the plane to intercept a drug pickup. Ponch proudly told how Jon chased one crook down on horseback, lassoing him.

"And they teach all this at motor school, do they?" Kellie looked from one man to the other. "Coz I sure didn't learn any of that stuff at the Academy."

Ponch rubbed her leg. "Stick with us babe and we'll teach you all our tricks."

She placed her hand over his and grinned. "I might just do that."

"Has Ponch told you how we rescued Bonnie by using micro planes?" asked Jon. "Or the time Ponch climbed down a ladder into a Tiger Moth."

Kellie looked at Ponch and smiled. "No, he hasn't, but I've heard the story of how you chased some crooks through Downtown LA on horseback."

Jon grinned. "Yeah that was one special horse."

Sensing where this was headed, Cassy excused herself and slipped into their tent. She came out shortly with a block of chocolate in one hand and her jacket in the other. Jon put another log on the fire which sent sparks shooting into the night sky. The moon was out now and reflecting off the flowing water in the creek.

The chocolate was consumed as the stories continued, another log put on the fire. The high pitched howl of a coyote was heard in the distance, an owl's hoot closer. The forest was coming alive. Kellie glanced up at the right time to see a red fox sneak a drink from the creek before disappearing. Crickets chirped and the odd firefly was seen.

Cassy yawned. It'd been a long day for her; work, the drive up here as well as the walk and setting up camp. She was ready for bed even though it was only just after nine. Catching Jon's eye she indicated the tent with a slight nod.

Jon yawned. "We're gonna call it a night. Put more logs on the fire before you turn in, can ya Ponch?"

"No problem," he grinned. "Watch out for the bed bugs."

"Forget the bed bugs, worry about the rats," countered Jon mischievously, enjoying the look of horror on his partner's face.

"Rats? And you're only telling me this now? You know I hate rats." Ponch squirmed in his chair.

Kellie grasped his hand, trying to suppress a giggle. "I think your partner is just teasing you."

"Good night Ponch," Jon said quickly, taking Cassy's hand he headed towards their tent before Ponch had time to react. "Nite Kellie."

"Good night," she returned.

"You'd better have your wits about ya tomorrow Jon," Ponch warned. He smiled when he heard Jon chuckling in the darkness.

Kellie stood up and held her hands out to him. "Wanna turn in too? It's been a long day."

"No, not yet," he replied huskily as he took her hands in his and pulled her onto his lap in one swift motion.

She squealed in delight but was quickly silenced by his lips. "Mmmm," she murmured as she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss.

After enjoying the warmth of the fire for an hour or so, Ponch and Kellie finally decided it was time to turn in. Kellie removed her arms from around his neck and kissed him deeply before standing up. Ponch poked at the fire making sparks shoot out in all directions before putting two logs on it. He grinned, enjoying the experience.

Kellie bobbed down behind their tent, while Ponch wandered further away to relieve himself. Zipping up his jeans he stood still for a moment and listened. Over the sound of the crickets and the screech of an owl he was sure he heard voices. Shaking his head he concluded that the forest was just playing with his mind. He turned around to head back when he heard it, the cracking sound of a stick being stepped on. Pausing, he turned slowly back, peering into the forest but seeing nothing. Listening he thought he heard the voices again but it may have been the wind. He was half tempted to wake Jon up but knew his partner wouldn't be impressed and besides what could they do in the dark? He'd tell him about it in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3 - Off Hiking

Chapter Three: Off Hiking

Kellie woke the next morning to a delightful aroma drifting through their tent. She opened her eyes and sniffed. Something was cooking outside, something that smelt delicious. She slid out from under the arm that was flung over her side, and unzipped the tent enough to peep out. Jon was outside cooking over the campfire and it looked a lot like bacon.

She knelt down and nudged Ponch. He didn't stir, so she nudged him again, harder this time. He opened his eyes.

She grinned at him. "You're going to miss out again if you don't get up."

"Huh?" His eyes may have been open but his brain was still waking up.

"On the bacon," she explained. "Can't you smell it? Jon's out there cooking it."

"What time is it?" he asked, still groggy from sleep.

"Early, I guess," Kellie said as she found her shorts and pulled them on. "Come on, this is the best time of the day." She didn't wait for his answer as she grabbed her boots and hurried outside.

Ponch groaned. He didn't know who was worse, his early rising partner or his girlfriend who was unbelievably chirpy in the mornings.

Jon grinned as Kellie joined him. "I was starting to worry that I'd be eating by myself. Ponch up?" he asked.

"I woke him, but I'm guessing that he went back to sleep," she said, glancing around. "Cassy's not up either?" she queried.

"No, she's still sleeping, and besides bacon doesn't agree with her at the moment." Jon piled some bacon on a plate and handed it to her. "Coffee?" he asked.

"Yes please." Kellie smiled.

It was early morning, the sun not long having risen filtered through the trees. Grass damp with overnight dew glistened in the stillness of the morning, birds awake chatted back and forth between themselves, while the many wildflowers were straining to greet the day.

They ate in silence, marvelling at all Mother Nature had to offer. Kellie facing the creek, jumped in surprise when a fish leaped out of the water.

Jon heard the splash behind him. "Fish?" he asked with a grin.

"Yeah"

"They've been doing that all morning." Jon drained the last of his coffee. "I'm half tempted to see if I can catch one."

"Mmmm fresh fish for dinner." Kellie licked her lips. "That'd be nice. I used to love fishing when I was a kid. Dad would take me and my brothers out of the city, and we'd fish to our heart's content." She giggled. "Never did catch much though."

"I've brought a hand line if you wanna try." He leaned back in his chair and studied her. Jon couldn't imagine any of Ponch's previous girlfriends wanting to have a go, but then again he couldn't imagine Ponch fishing either. She was a refreshing change.

"Yeah, I might just do that when you two are off _hiking_ ," she said with a knowing smile.

She put such an emphasis on the word that it was obvious she knew what they were up to. Jon looked sheepish. "Arr umm," he stammered. "Yeah Ponch and I, well it was me actually, thought it would be a good idea if you and Cassy-"

"It's okay Jon," she interrupted. "I think it's a good idea for the two of us to spend some time together alone."

"You do?"

"Yeah, then maybe Cassy can forgive me."

Jon sighed. "I hope so... this isn't like her you know."

"I thought so," she said softly. "I can understand why but..." she paused, worried that she'd say too much.

"You can be honest with me Kellie."

She looked at him closely, already knowing he was a straightforward man, but seeing it in his eyes allowed her to continue. "You forgave me so readily, the one person who had reason not to, yet Cassy can't. I know it would have been hard for her when you were missing, and I can understand her not liking me, really I can. But if you can forgive, why can't she?"

Jon struggled to find an answer to her question. "I can't answer that," he said finally. "As for me, I'm generally a tolerant man and I saw no reason not to forgive you."

"You'd been partners with Frank for how long? So I guess you have to be."

He laughed, his eyes twinkling. "You're right there, and Kellie, Cassy does like you. We both do. You're a good influence on Ponch. Just give her time and I'm sure she'll come around."

"Thanks Jon." She smiled. "I will."

They ate the last of the bacon; Jon reassured Kellie that there was more for Ponch when he finally emerged. Whenever that would be, they laughed. Restless, they decided a walk was in order while they waited for their other halves to wake up.

Kellie wanted to have a closer look at the wild flowers growing amongst the rocks, so they headed in that direction. The rock formation was quite large, about fifteen feet high at the highest point and roughly fifty foot wide. It was an uphill walk over the base of the rocks before they reached the larger ones. Up close the sandstone outcrop was impressive. Kellie marvelled over the flowers growing out of the crevices while Jon had a closer look at the unusual markings.

Seeing Ponch below, Kellie waved and started back down. Jon was about to follow when he noticed a pile of cigarette butts behind one of the rocks. He thought nothing of it until he realized one butt was still smouldering. Bending down he picked it up and held it near his nose. It had not long been smoked. Jon looked around but seeing nothing out of the ordinary he continued down. Probably poachers not wanting to be seen he thought.

By the time Jon reached camp, Ponch was fuming. He'd seen the empty pan and smelt the aroma of bacon. He turned on his partner. "You've done it again, haven't ya, eaten all the damn bacon?"

Jon laughed. "Hang on Ponch," he said as he walked over to the icebox they'd brought with them. He took out the remaining portion and showed it to him. "Did you really think I'd do that again?

"Sorry Jon." Ponch had the decency to look ashamed.

Kellie slipped her arms around him and giggled. "You of little faith," she said, poking him in the chest. "We should've eaten it all to teach you a lesson."

He planted a quick kiss on her lips. "Yes ma'am," he grinned.

Jon soon had the bacon sizzling and before long Ponch was seated with a plate in front of him. Mouth watering he tucked in with gusto.

Cassy wandered out, hair tousled, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Sitting down she yawned, straightening the tee shirt she'd pulled on.

Ponch looked up. "Morning Cassy, sleep well?" he asked.

She nodded, still waking up.

"You okay?" Jon asked, handing her a cup of coffee.

Taking a sip of the hot liquid, she smiled at him. "Yeah, I am now. Mmmm that's good."

"Not as good as this bacon, I bet," Ponch said licking his lips. "My God Jon, that was delicious. You know what? I think I'll forgive you for eating that other bacon on me."

"Gee thanks Ponch, I'm touched you know."

They were all in good spirits as they planned the day ahead. Jon and Ponch were going to hike to the waterfall, about three hours in total. Kellie was determined to catch a fish, much to Ponch's amusement, while Cassy was finally going to finish the book she'd started reading three weeks ago.

Backpacks were filled with the basics; water bottles, trail mix and an apple each, and the men were ready to go. Jon kissed Cassy on the lips, giving her a warm hug, while Ponch did the same with Kellie. Promising to be back within three hours, in time for lunch, they headed off. The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight. A gentle breeze blew through the forest, sending an aroma of pine and fresh air into their senses. Overhead a hawk soared, searching for prey. It was a perfect morning for a hike.

Cassy watched them leave and glanced at Kellie. Sighing, she knew as well as Kellie did, why the men had gone hiking. She liked Kellie, she really did for the simple reason that Ponch was besotted with her, but and it was a big but, she couldn't shake off her reasoning that she may have lost Jon because of her. Yet Jon was able to forgive her, and welcome her into their lives with open arms, so why couldn't she?

She sighed again. The big difference was that Jon didn't remember anything from that frightful day, while she would never forget. Wednesday, January 11th 1986. The day she found out she was expecting, the day she was told Jon was missing, and the day Cadet Kellie Waugh didn't pass on vital information which may have freed them hours earlier. Feeling tears pooling in her eyes, she fled to her tent.

Kellie felt her heart sink as Cassy rushed away. This was going to be harder than she thought. Give her time Jon had said. How much time? Picking up the hand line Jon had given her she wandered over to the creek. Finding what she thought would be a good spot she dug around in the soft ground to find a worm. Fumbling with the hook she managed to secure the worm, she dropped the line in the water and settled down on a flat rock. With the sun on her back, Kellie felt content for the time being, not really caring if she caught a fish or not.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Jon and Ponch had made good time. They could hear the roar of the waterfall so they knew they weren't far away. They'd hiked upwards for the first half an hour, now they were heading down towards the foot of the falls. Going back would take them longer.

"How do ya think the girls are getting on?" asked Ponch, taking a sip out of his bottle.

"Talking to each other, I hope," Jon replied. "We're not as smart as we think we are. Kellie at least knew what we were up to, and I think Cassy had an idea as well."

Ponch laughed. "Do you think we'll ever put one over them?"

"No," Jon chuckled.

They continued downwards, the noise of the fall getting louder while it felt cooler the closer they got to the water. The clamour blocked out the other sounds around them; they couldn't hear birds chirping to each other nor the shrill from the hawk as it dived down on its prey, and they certainly didn't hear footsteps behind them. But they felt the sharp, stinging pain across their shoulders as tree branches were brought down on them. Stumbling, first Jon and then Ponch fell into darkness.


	4. Chapter 4 - Captured

Chapter Four: Captured

WARNING: There is adult language in this chapter.

Groaning, Ponch woke first about ten minutes later. He found himself sitting on the ground, tied to a pine tree. He shook his head and tried to gather his thoughts. The last thing he could remember was talking to Jon as they hiked down the trail. Jon, where was he? He glanced around but couldn't see him. Ponch could hear the roar of the waterfall, so he knew he wasn't far away from where they went down. Seeing only trees around him he guessed he'd been dragged off the trail, but by whom?

He felt rather than heard someone stir behind him. "Jon?" he queried, anxiously. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Ponch," came the faint reply.

He stretched his fingers out as much as possible within the confines of the nylon rope, and touched Jon's hand behind him. He was thinking clearer now and realized they were both tied to the same tree. It had been done quickly with lots of rope wrapped around them and the tree but it was a rough job. Ponch had some movement in his upper body.

"Jon, can you move?" he asked, softly.

There was no answer.

"Jon?" Ponch called out again, louder.

He heard his partner groaning. _Oh God,_ Ponch thought. _Please not this all over again._

"Baker, for God's sake answer me." Ponch was beginning to panic as the memory of their time locked in the shipping container flooded his brain.

"Yeah, Ponch," Jon finally answered.

His relief was audible. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I will be," Jon replied, his voice stronger than before. "What the hell happened?"

Ponch couldn't help but grin at his partner's question. "I think we were hit with something and tied to a tree."

No reply was forthcoming.

Then astonishingly Ponch heard a quiet chuckle coming from his partner. "Sorry," Jon said. "Dumb question."

"I'll forgive you, just this once."

"Thanks," replied Jon. "Now, how do we get out of this? How much can you move?"

"I can wiggle my fingers and move my body a bit. What about you?"

Before Jon could answer they heard voices and footsteps, realizing that their assailants were coming back they wisely shut up.

Two men stalked towards them, Jon couldn't see them but he heard their voices. He frowned as he tried to remember where he'd heard one voice. Then it dawned on him. Yesterday afternoon while he and Cassy were waiting for Ponch and Kellie, the red Ford with the broken taillight... he was sure the voice belonged to the taller of those two men, the man with the scar down his face.

"Well, well, well what do we have here? Two little piggies all tied up," Scarface said.

Ponch glared.

"Yeah we know who you are, Officers Frank Poncherello and Jon Baker of the California Highway Patrol, Central Division."

"What do you want with us," Ponch asked nervously, having never seen either man before.

Scarface stood about two feet away while his accomplice, the shorter man with the dark beady eyes, moved around to stand over Jon, a complacent look on his face.

"Now that is a good question," Scarface answered, as he pulled a switchblade out of his pocket and flicked it open.

Ponch eyed the knife, his heart pounded in his chest as his eyes flickered anxiously.

"Makes ya nervous, doesn't it?" He ran a finger menacingly over the blade. He turned to his companion and grinned. "Shall we tell them?"

"Yeah, why not," beady eyes grunted.

He put the knife away for the time being and paced around. "Ya see, it's like this," he snarled. "We're here to make sure ya don't snitch on my boy."

Both Ponch and Jon looked confused, having no idea what he was on about.

"And who would your boy be?" asked Ponch, trying to sound calm even though he was churning up inside.

"Jason Smith."

The name didn't ring any bells with either of them.

"Are you sure we're the ones you're after? There are a lot of officers in the Patrol you know." Ponch stared at him, his dark eyes open wide.

"Don't get smart with me, ya asshole." He kicked out at Ponch, and struck his thigh with his size eleven boot. "How many of your officers were banged up in a shipping container three months ago?"

Ponch gulped, desperately wanting to rub his leg. _Smith, Jason Smith,_ he thought back to that fateful Wednesday in January. Mark Smith was awaiting trial and the kid that was out there with them was certainly young enough to be this man's son.

"How did you know we were out here?" Jon asked, wanting answers. He remembered the lustful way the beady eyed man had stared at Cassy yesterday and he was thankful the girls were safe back at camp.

Scarface walked around to face Jon. "It wasn't luck, if that's what you're thinking," he sneered. "Three months it took for this opportunity. Do ya know how many hours we spent listening?"

"Listening," Jon repeated. "Listening to what?"

"Listening with the bugs we planted in ya cars, ya dickhead."

The colour drained from Jon's face and he breathed deeply trying to stay calm. His head was starting to ache.

"Why?" Ponch wanted to know. "We weren't looking for your son."

"Yeah, we figured that out about a month in, but by then it'd become a game and we wanted to see where it lead."

"A game?" Ponch fumed. "This is a game?"

"Yep, I guess ya could say that." He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it up.

Jon smelt the smoke and remembered the pile of butts he'd found that morning. "You've been watching us, haven't you?"

Scarface laughed. "Yeah, and you nearly found us in those rocks."

"Come on Les," the beady eyed man said as he rubbed his crotch. The odour emitting from him was stronger than Jon had smelt yesterday, and it was overpowering. "Get it over with so I can get what I came for."

Les Smith turned on him. "Get your hand off it," he growled. "I told ya Nick, all in good time."

The young man crouched behind a bush watching the exchange had seen enough. He ran his fingers through his sandy coloured hair as he stood up, surprising the four older men when he suddenly appeared.

"Jason, what the fuck are ya doing here?" his father asked, dumbfounded.

"Stopping you from doing something so unbelievably _stupid_ ," he answered grimly. "Come on Dad, this isn't your scene, robbery and car stealing that's you, but not this."

"Relax Jase. We're having a bit of fun, that's all." Les put his arm around his son's shoulder. "Join us. It'll make a man of ya, better than robbing banks with that uncle of yours."

Jason surveyed the scene in front of him. The dark haired cop was beginning to sweat, probably from nerves he thought, while the blonde one, Baker he remembered, was pale, so very pale. He'd followed his father on a hunch. With their actions over the past several days he figured they were up to no good, but he never expected this. He looked around in disgust.

Les saw the look in his son's eyes. "Ya didn't think we were gonna kill them, did ya?"

"You tell me, it looks like it."

"Come on," Nick whined. "Kill them, bash them, or leave them tied up and let the ants get them, just hurry up would ya?" He rubbed his crotch again and thrust forward in a vulgar manner. "You promised me."

Jason frowned; he had a bad feeling about what Nick Larson had been promised. The gloating he'd heard over the past couple of months had left him with a sour taste in his mouth. What that man did to women was sick, very sick.

Les pondered. He loved the thrill of the chase more than anything, but actually _killing_ someone was probably more than he could handle. Those two women back at camp were a different story though and he licked his lips at the prospect. He could certainly do them and that would hurt the pigs more than any bashing would. Plus he _had_ promised Nick. "Okay let's go get them. We'll leave these two to the ants."

Nick positively drooled. He crouched in front of Jon at eye level and stared at him. "I think I'll have that blonde one first," he sniggered, his top lip turning up at one corner. "She's got a great set of tits on her."

Jon gasped. The odour was enough to make him gag, but the thought of that man laying even one finger on Cassy much less than what he was implying made him sick to his stomach. He pleaded. "I beg you, please don't touch her, she's-"

"Jon, don't," Ponch warned, as distressed as his partner. The thought of anything happening to Kellie was bad enough, but he knew Jon would go crazy over the thought of those animals touching his wife, his pregnant wife.

"She's what?" Nick sneered. Seeing the unmistakable fear in the officer's eyes thrilled him, and he could feel his burgeoning erection already. "She's ready for a real man?"

Jon could feel his heart pounding, almost jumping out of his chest. He wanted to plead, beg, appeal for them to leave her alone, but didn't knowing it would fall on deaf ears. By the sounds of things these plans had been made days ago. He struggled against the ropes, valiantly trying to free himself.

The two older men laughed and walked away. "Have fun, cos we're certainly gonna."

Jason followed them, a few steps behind, pondering what to do. He wanted to free the two cops, but even though he was a grown man he still had a fear of his father left over from childhood. Letting them go would be stepping over the line, and Jason wasn't quite ready to do that just yet. On the other hand if he went with them he may be able to help the women, and that was a line he was prepared to cross.

Ponch could feel his partner frantically working on the ropes. "Jon, slow down and _think_."

"I can't Ponch, you heard them. I've gotta get out of here," he groaned, the desperation in his voice unmistakable. "My God Ponch, I swear, if they lay a finger on her I'll hunt them down to the ends of the earth."

"I know," Ponch sighed. "But we need to think this out. Your struggling has tightened the ropes."

Ponch was right. The knots had actually constricted. With some thinking on Ponch's part, manoeuvring by both of them and the fact that the rope was old, they were able to rub it against the rough bark of the tree and free themselves half an hour later. They ran for the trail, Jon not noticing the abrasion on his wrist, and prayed that they weren't too late.


	5. Chapter 5 - Trouble in Camp

Chapter Five: Trouble in Camp

WARNING: Adult Language.

Kellie was ecstatic; she'd actually caught a fish, a Golden Trout. She removed the hook from its mouth and wondered what to do with it. Fresh fish for dinner would be nice but... she knelt down and released it. She watched it swim away and grinned proudly. She'd caught a fish.

She looked over at where Cassy was sitting, reading her book, and her smile faded. They'd each done their own thing, hardly saying a word to each other, so much for their time alone. Kellie glanced at her watch, she realized that the boys wouldn't be far away but there was time to have a closer look at the rocks.

She climbed up higher than she had done earlier that morning, there wasn't a cloud in sight and the day was warm for this time of year. She squinted and could make out a pair of birds circling high in the sky. Kellie moved around to the left of the rock she was on, and found she had a good view of the path leading to the waterfall.

She lifted her hand to wave at the two men on the trail, but froze when she saw the third. Taking a second look, Kellie realized it wasn't Ponch and Jon like she assumed it would be but somebody else. Hiker's maybe? But they didn't fit the picture. They weren't carrying packs or supplies of any sort.

She hugged the rock and stayed out of sight to observe them. They stopped, looked around as if they were searching for something, the shorter one rubbing himself in a manner that disgusted Kellie even from a distance. They pointed and continued on. She gasped, my God, they were headed for Cassy, and she had a horrible feeling that this wasn't a social visit.

Cassy had glanced up earlier, saw the fish Kellie had pulled out of the creek and grinned. _Good for_ _you_ she thought. Her eyes dimmed and her grin faded. She felt bad that she hadn't spoken to Kellie, but resolved to do so later. She returned to the book that had to be finished, Seeds of Yesterday, the conclusion to the Flowers in the Attic series that had her captivated.

Sitting in front of the fire that was almost out, legs tucked up underneath her and hair loose around her shoulders, Cassy had tears running down her face. _Oh God, not Chris_ , she sniffed and turned the page, _poor Cathy._ She read on, _the attic, she's going back to the attic_. Oh gosh, _the orange snail and purple_ _worm_ , she turned the final page, read it and closed the book. She sat there, momentarily drained.

She heard footsteps behind her, and quickly wiped her eyes not wanting to be teased by Ponch. Then she smelt it, an odour so distasteful that she wanted to be sick. She didn't have time to turn around as a hand covered her mouth and pulled her head back. The book fell to the ground with a thump. Cassy was terrified.

The man dragged her to her feet, circling her as if she was a prize bull and he was appraising her. His small beady eyes opened to their fullest, and he leered at her. "Not bad," he sniggered. "You'll do for starters."

Cassy struggled to breathe, her heart pounded and she could barely manage to stand. She was frozen with fear. Instinctively she placed her hand across her stomach to protect her unborn child.

He noticed her action and the words of the cop came back to him. _"I beg you, please don't touch her, she's..."_ _Pregnant,_ he sneered, _makes no difference to me_ he thought. He stepped in close, so close that Cassy had no option but to hold her breath; he ran a finger down her cheek, past her neck and stopped on her left breast.

She trembled in fear, unable to do anything more than stare at him. A tear slid from her eye and weaved its way slowly down her face.

He heaved, anticipating her, his erection straining. His hand was still on her breast, rubbing, touching her. He moved downwards to her stomach. "I guess your pig husband did have a reason to be fearful, after all," he grunted.

At that point Cassy realized that there were three of them and all she could do was pray. She prayed for Jon and herself, but most of all she prayed for her child.

The tallest of the three stepped up to them and threw his cigarette on the ground. He'd been nosing around the campsite while the youngest had just stood there. "Okay missy, where's your friend?" he demanded.

Cassy wasn't capable of answering, it was all she could do to keep breathing as the nightmare unfolded. But where was Kellie?

Kellie silently climbed down through the rocks and took cover behind a large tree on the edge of the clearing. She had a clear line of sight to their camp and a good view of Cassy as she read her book. For a brief moment she thought she was overreacting, that the three men were just passing through. She froze when she saw the man drag Cassy to her feet and felt her heart sink. Oh God, no.

Her police instincts went into overdrive. _You've been trained for this, top of the class remember that Kell._ _You can do this, you have to._ With a plan formed in her head, Kellie moved from tree to tree so she could eventually dash to the tent closest to the forest. Luckily, they were all facing towards the creek so she had no trouble getting in position.

She took the time to calm down and breathe deeply. _You can do this Kell,_ she repeated over and over, trying to give her the courage to continue. _Yes, there are three of them, but you've got the element of surprise, remember that._ More than anything she wished for Ponch and Jon, and for a split second she contemplated waiting for them, but she knew Cassy needed her now.

With a quick glance around Kellie spied a fallen tree branch, she picked it up and it felt strong enough to make a decent weapon. She put her head down and bolted for the rear of the tent, where she dropped to her knees and cautiously peeped around the corner. She could see Cassy and the disgusting man who was mauling her, and she was nearly sick. Nearby the sandy haired youngster was just standing there doing nothing, but when he turned his head Kellie could see the loathing on his face. The third man had headed towards the creek.

Cassy finally found her voice and began to scream as the man dragged her towards a tent, all the time telling her what he intended to do. Kellie sprung into action. She charged the man, raised the branch and brought it down hard across his shoulders. He staggered and let Cassy go.

Kellie yelled. "Run Cassy, run."

Cassy tried to run, but she stumbled and tripped on one of the tent ropes. The young man leapt forward; he grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet and made her run towards the forest.

The man turned on Kellie. "Bitch!" he hollered, enraged. He tried to grab her, but Kellie was too quick and struck him across the face with the branch. He fell this time and she hit him again, before she raced after Cassy.

She glanced behind her, he was still on the ground and the commotion hadn't brought the other man, yet. Still carrying the branch she caught up with Cassy and the youngster on the edge of the forest.

She yelled. "Get away from her."

He stopped and put his hands up. Kellie held the branch like a baseball bat. "I mean it, get away," she said in the best officer's voice she could muster while trying to catch her breath.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," he said quickly. Hearing voices coming from behind them, he swore. "You've got to trust me and let me help you. We need to keep moving."

There was something in his eyes that told Kellie he was telling the truth, and she felt she could trust him for the time being. She didn't have much choice as she took Cassy's hand and moved forward. Cassy was shaking like a leaf and Kellie feared for her. "Come on hon, we've got to get away from here," she said softly.

Cassy nodded mutely and clutched Kellie's hand like she was never going to let go. With him on the other side of her, they hurried off into the forest as the voices got louder and more insistent. Calling them bitches, whores and every other choice name they could think of with language so bad that even their ally cringed.

The thickness of the forest was to their advantage and before long they had weaved around enough that they couldn't hear the voices anymore. But now they were lost.


	6. Chapter 6 - Where are the girls?

Chapter Six: Where are the girls?

WARNING: Adult language.

Jon had never prayed harder as they headed towards the camp site. Images of the woman he loved flashed through his mind as they hurried along, from the first day he'd met her at the station to the horrible time he and Ponch were missing, locked in that shipping container. Cassy had been through it all with him and now she was pregnant, he'd never felt prouder. If she was hurt in any way, stressed or shaken, Jon vowed those men would pay, and pay dearly.

"Try not to think the worst Jon," Ponch said, knowing what his partner would be thinking. "The girls might not even be there you know. They may have gone for a walk or something. Flowers, they both love flowers. I bet that's what they're doing, picking flowers."

"God I hope you're right Ponch, but I'm thinking that's not the case."

"I know partner, I know."

They continued on, running at times when the going was downhill, but mostly at a fast trot. The closer they got the more apprehensive they felt. Less than three hours ago they'd all been happy, laughing, enjoying life and now this. You never knew what was around the corner.

They were nearly there, just one more bend in the trail and the camp would be in view. They slowed to a walk, the last thing the girls needed if they were in trouble, was the two of them bursting in making the situation worse.

Jon skirted around to the left through the rocks so he could come in unnoticed near the creek, while Ponch went to the right to come out from the forest. Head down Jon edged closer, his heart pounded with every step he took. He listened for any possible sound of trouble as he tried to stay calm, too much depended on this.

Crouched behind the tent which backed up to the creek, Jon strained to hear sounds coming from the camp but there was nothing. The creek was trickling, the birds were certainly chirping and he could hear the wind rustling through the trees but nothing from the camp. He started to sweat, more from anxiety than the heat of the day. He stood up and peered through the rear flap of the tent, nothing unusual there. He walked around to the front and dashed across to the other tent. Nothing there either. The camp was empty.

"Ponch," he called out. Oh God where were they?

Ponch rushed in and saw the look of fear on his partner's face. His heart sank as he glanced around and took in the situation. "They may have gone for a walk," he said not wanting to think the worst. "Come on let's look around, there must be something here that can give us a clue."

They searched through the camp. Jon checked out his tent but nothing was amiss. The tee shirt Cassy had worn yesterday was still in the same place; he picked it up and held it close to breathe in the faint scent of her. There was no sign of a struggle, nothing.

Ponch came out of his tent and shook his head. Same result. They checked the icebox and counted the water bottles, everything was in place, everything except Cassy's book. Jon bent down to pick it up and came up with something else, a discarded cigarette butt.

He held it out to Ponch, the fear evident in his eyes. "They've been here, that's the same type of butt I found in the rocks," he said. He looked around hoping against hope that the girls would suddenly appear but they didn't.

"We'll find them Jon," Ponch said, trying to reassure his partner. "We just have to think it through first."

Jon looked at him in horror, his thoughts muddled. "We haven't got time to think. We've got to start looking now."

"Yes I know, but we need a plan," Ponch said sternly. "Besides where would you start?"

Jon took a moment to breathe deeply, "Okay, what's your plan?"

"Think like the girls for a minute. Where do you think they would have gone?"

His mind becoming clearer, Jon focused and thought. Looking at the book he still had in his hand and the position of the chair Cassy would have been sitting in, Jon pointed towards the forest. "We would have made better time than them, so we wouldn't have been that far behind. They should've still been here unless the girls fled."

Ponch nodded in agreement.

Jon continued. "Cassy would have been facing the creek, and she gets so involved with these books that they could have snuck right up on her. She's dropped the book and ran."

"Sounds feasible," Ponch agreed.

"The rocks would slow them down, and so would the creek. So that leaves the forest. We didn't see them on the way back so I'm thinking that they headed for the cars."

"Then that's where we start looking." Ponch gathered up some water bottles, the first aid kit and supplies, and stuffed them in a backpack. "We head for the cars and get on the radio."

With a plan in mind they headed off. As they passed one of the tents, Ponch noticed something that in their haste to search inside the tents they overlooked before, a pool of blood.

"Jon," he said softly, not wanting to alarm his partner more than necessary. "You'd better have a look at this."

As Jon stared at the blood, the colour drained from his face. It had begun to soak into the ground which made it difficult to ascertain just how much there was, but it looked substantial.

"Don't think it Jon," Ponch warned. "It could belong to anyone."

"But Cassy's pregnant, what if she's losing the-"

"Don't say it. Do you hear me? Don't even go there."

He nodded mutely.

They headed off on the trail which lead to where the cars were parked, looking for any little sign that the girls may have passed through. Thankfully there was no sign of any more blood. Suddenly voices could be heard coming from the forest. Loud voices, angry, threatening and cursing like there was no tomorrow. Ponch pulled Jon behind a tree and they crouched out of sight.

Coming into view were their assailants, Les and Nick, but there was no sign of the younger man Jason. Nick was covered in scratches and his tee shirt was blood stained. By the look of him he'd taken a blow to his nose.

They observed them for a moment, and it quickly become obvious that they were heading back to the camp. With their plan of attack conferred Jon and Ponch followed them back, staying well out of sight. They watched as chairs were thrown about and the contents of the icebox tossed away in spurts of anger.

Ponch made a dash for the rear of one tent, while Jon scouted around through the rocks like he did before, bird whistling when he was in place behind the other tent. They acted as one and emerged from their cover with stealth like movement; each knew what the other was thinking.

Ponch snuck up on Les and surprised him with a fist to the face, he staggered and Ponch hit him again. He fell to the ground, out cold. Nick tried to run but Jon was quickly on to him. He grabbed him, spun him around and punched him in the stomach, hard. He doubled over, Jon finished him off with a blow to the jaw and he slumped to the ground in a heap.

The partners stared at them. Jon struggled to control the anger he felt. Not knowing what these animals had done to his wife or where she was, he could barely contain his rage. He wanted to beat them to a pulp but his inner voice of reasoning was stronger, and held him back, just. They needed answers and fast. Time was of the essence.

Jon removed ropes from one tent while Ponch stood guard over their prisoners. He watched in awe as his partner bound their hands behind them, efficiently tying them up as if he were calf roping at a local rodeo.

Water was thrown over them, they splattered awake and looked up into the hard eyes of reality. One pair steely blue, so intense and threatening that they feared for their lives. The other set dark and menacing, burning into their souls.

"We didn't touch them," Les said quickly, as blood trickled down his face from a cut above his eye.

"Where are they?" Ponch demanded, standing over them, feet shoulder width apart.

"Out there," Les answered, indicating the forest with his a slight nod of his head.

"They're in the forest?" Ponch exclaimed. "Where in the forest?"

"We don't know, for fucks sake. They ran off."

Jon prodded Nick with his boot "What do you know about it?" he thundered.

Nick gulped; he had power over women and loved it when they trembled in front of him, which turned him on like nothing else could. But when another man threatened him, he couldn't handle it. He went to pieces and spouted out whatever came to mind. "I know your broad has a great set of tits, nice and firm, just right for when that nipper comes-"

He didn't get the chance to say anything else as Jon pulled him up with one hand, and slammed his fist hard into his face. Blood gushed out of his nose, some of it landing on Jon who was about to hammer him again.

"Jon!" Ponch warned and grabbed his arm. "He's not worth it."

Breathing deeply, Jon knew his partner was right but God help him, he so wanted to killthat piece of scum squirming on the ground. So much so that it frightened the living daylights out of him. He stepped away.

Ponch turned back to Les. "Okay scumbag, tell us what you know and make it quick. Or else I'll let my partner vent his anger on you."

Les wasted no time, he feared for his life as it was. "They ran into the forest after that mad bitch cobbered Nick over the head with a branch. Nearly killed him she did. We followed but lost them soon after."

"Who are you calling a mad bitch?" Ponch asked, slightly confused over what had occurred.

"Not the blonde one, the other one. Nick was..." he paused and looked towards Jon, terrified of saying any more.

Ponch suppressed a grin. His partner was not known for his anger but right at that moment even he was wary of him. "Go on," he said. "I'll keep him off ya."

Les continued, never taking his eyes off Jon who was now pacing around. "Nick was feeling her up, trying to drag her towards a tent when suddenly out of nowhere this woman appeared and hit him with a tree branch."

"Where were you?" Ponch asked his chest puffed out proudly over Kellie's actions.

"Gone looking for her," he answered. "And to top it all off, my prick of a son helped them get away."

Jon stopped pacing and glared at him. "So you're telling us that your son is out there with them."

"Yeah, if that bitch hasn't done him in, I tell ya she was mad."

"Watch your language, that's my girlfriend you're talking about." Ponch inched closer to him, his warning unmistakable. "Where exactly did they go into the forest?"

"To the left of that big tree, near the track leading to the waterfall."

"On your feet," Ponch demanded.

"Ah come on, I've told ya all I know." Les squirmed, really fearing for his life now.

Ponch could see the fear in his eyes. "We value our badges too much to do anything like that, but we're not leaving you here like this."

Les nodded and managed to get to his feet with some effort. Ponch lead him over to the nearest tree and with another rope from the tent, Jon swiftly tied him to it. The partners dragged Nick to his feet and secured him to another tree. Without a backward glance they walked away from them.

Ponch grabbed the backpack. "How well do you know this area Jon?"

"Well enough to know they could end up anywhere. There's a heap of trails out there that criss-cross all through this area. They could be half way to the waterfall, back at the cars or stuck in the middle somewhere." Jon headed off; his cop instincts were back in full force and pushed the anger off to one side. The girls needed their help. He strode towards the track that led back to the cars; Ponch had to break into a trot to catch him up.

"So you think that they're back at the cars?" Ponch asked, bewildered by Jon's actions. He'd expected him to head straight into the forest where the girls had gone.

"No, but we need help. That's too big an area to cover on our own, and besides as much as I'd like to we can't leave those two out here. We'll get on the radio and then head towards the waterfall; I'm hoping that they've gone that way as they've got no water with them."

Ponch nodded, relieved that his partner had his emotions under control and was thinking like he normally did, rationally. They knew the girls were under no immediate threat but time was still critical.


	7. Chapter 7 - Lost

Chapter seven: Lost

Kellie felt it was safe enough to stop for a moment, she sensed that Cassy was struggling, and besides they needed to figure out exactly where they were. They'd just come across a fallen log in a small clearing so she made Cassy sit down.

It had been rough going, the forest was thick and it took time to weave around the trees and the odd bush. As the sun only peaked through here and there, they had no idea if they were walking in circles or going in a relativity straight line.

"Are we safe Kell?" Cassy asked her eyes wide with fear.

Kellie sat next to her and put an arm around her shoulders to draw her close. "Yeah Cass, we are. Don't know where we are but we're safe."

Having stopped, shock took over and Cassy broke down and sobbed. "That man," she heaved. "He smelt so awful... Kellie he was gonna..."

"I know, don't think about it hon, it's over now," she cooed, as she rubbed Cassy's arm in a soothing motion. "Just forget all about him."

"But he mentioned Jon. They should've been back, shouldn't they?" she sniffed.

Kellie's mind went into overdrive. "What do you mean, and in what way did he mention Jon?" she asked, suddenly realizing that this wasn't a random attack like she first thought it was.

Cassy had to think for a moment as she tried to remember exactly what he'd said. Finally it came back. "He... he was touching my stomach and said something like, 'I guess your pig husband did have a reason to be fearful." She took a deep breath and tried to control her tears.

Kellie gasped. "You!" she beckoned to the young man who had wandered off to one side. "Get over here, now," she bellowed, remembering what she'd be taught at the Academy. _You are in control, sound like_ _you're in control_.

He stood in front of them, nearly at attention, at this point he wasn't sure what to make of her. She was only slight in build but commanded respect, especially after she'd single-handedly taken out that bastard.

Kellie stared at him, actually looking at him properly for the first time. He was young, not more than eighteen or nineteen, sandy coloured hair and warm eyes, quite pleasant to look at but so out of place when you put him into context with the other two. He was tall, nearly six foot she guessed and he was giving her a stiff neck staring up at him. "Do you wanna sit down?"

He sat.

"What's your name?" Kellie asked. "As you've probably guessed I'm Kellie and this is Cassy."

"Jason," he replied.

"Well Jason, what can you tell us about what happened back there? Was it planned or a random attack?"

"It was planned."

"And," Kellie prompted, as she realized she was going to be dragging every piece of information out of him.

"The taller man is my father Les Smith and that bastard is Nick Larson," Jason said, refusing to hold her gaze.

"Why were they after Cassy?"

Jason finally looked at her. "They wanted both of you to get back at your cops."

It was becoming clear, or so Kellie thought. "So Ponch and Jon arrested them or something and this was a revenge attack?"

"No, they were protecting me," he sighed, hating the fact that this started because of him.

Kellie was confused, she shook her head. "Sorry, but I'm not following you. Why did they have to protect you from Ponch and Jon? They're highway patrolmen for God's sake, not hardnosed detectives or the like." Though after the stories she'd heard last night, Kellie wasn't so sure about that. Beside her she could feel Cassy trembling, she still had her arm around her shoulder, and she drew her in closer.

It tumbled out of him, at hundred miles an hour. "I was there when they were locked up in that container, Dad wanted to stop them from identifying me and he wouldn't listen when I said I could look after myself. That Larson was just along coz he's the scum of the earth and he preys on women. I wanted to free them from the tree but felt you might need my help more, and that's how I ended up at your camp." He stopped and took a breath.

Two things he said stuck with Kellie, container and tree. "Are Ponch and Jon tied up somewhere?" she asked hesitantly, not really sure that she wanted to know the answer as the pit of worry in her stomach increased.

Jason nodded. "Yeah, they're tied to a tree not far from that waterfall."

Cassy sobbed quietly, clinging to Kellie who in return kissed the top of her head, her own eyes pooling with tears.

"They looked all right," Jason added quickly seeing their reactions. "They were both talking." He felt for the pair of them, especially Cassy. She seemed to be pregnant and he remembered staring at her wedding photo, the photo he'd taken from her husband's wallet at the container yard, and thinking that she looked pretty good. She looked so different now, her blonde hair tangled with pine needles, and her eyes so bright in the photo now frightened and full of tears. He had a soft spot where she was concerned.

Adrenaline rush worn off, Kellie realized it was up to her to get them out of this. She'd half been expecting the boys to appear at any moment but now knowing this wasn't likely to happen, she was suddenly apprehensive, scared even. She wasn't that concerned about Ponch and Jon, they were resourceful and besides they had each other, while she had Cassy to think of and Jason with them who she didn't know if she could trust or not.

She thought about what Jason had said about the container. _I was there when they were locked in that container._ _He must have made the phone call that night._ She realized.

"So, you were there when the guys were locked in that container?"

Jason nodded.

"Did you make a phone call to the station later that night?" she asked, completely surprising him.

He hesitated. "Yeah, I did," he finally admitted.

At that point Kellie felt she could trust him. If he went to the trouble of making a phone call about a situation he was involved in, there must be quite a bit of good in him. She smiled. "I took that call ya know."

His eyes opened wide. "You did? Did it help?"

"Yeah it would've if I'd done my job properly. I stuffed up and didn't pass the message on."

"Oh," he said. He thought for a moment. "So you're a cop as well?"

"Yep, newly promoted Officer Kellie Waugh at your service." She grinned, actually liking this young man sitting next to her.

"Makes sense, you did a great job knocking Larson out."

"Thanks. I was pretty scared though. First time I've ever done anything like that."

He grinned, feeling relaxed next to her now. "Really, looked like you'd been doing that forever and a day?"

"Nope."

"You gonna arrest me?" he asked, his brown eyes twinkling.

Kellie laughed. "Nah, not today, you deserve a medal for helping Cassy out of there."

At that point Cassy, who had been quiet with just the odd sniffle or two, suddenly burst into tears which startled them both.

"Cassy, hon what's the matter?" Kellie looked at her, concerned. "Are you in pain? Is something happening to the baby?"

She shook her head. "No," she sobbed. "I've been so... so mean to you. Can you possibly forgive me?"

Kellie gathered her in her arms while Jason wandered off to give them space. "Cassy there's nothing to forgive honey."

Cassy lifted her head. "Yes there is. You risked your life for me, but I couldn't forgive your mistake like Jon and Ponch did. I've been acting like a spoilt selfish brat."

Kellie hugged her tightly and felt tremendous relief. While this certainly wasn't the ideal way to go about it, some good had come from their escape today. "I understand why you haven't been able to forgive me, and if I were in your shoes I'd probably feel the same way too."

"Really?"

"Yes, can we forget the past and start afresh from today as friends?"

"Of course," Cassy smiled and wiped her eyes. "I'd really like to know you better. You seem so much more fun than Ponch's last girl..." She stopped not sure if she should be talking old girlfriends with the current one.

Kellie giggled. "Michelle? I've heard a bit about her from Frank and none of it nice either."

Cassy screwed her face up. "She was stuck up and snobbish, and I don't think Ponch was that happy when he was with her. Not like you. I don't know how many times Jon has said he's never seen Ponch happier. And Jon should know as he's seen quite a few girlfriends come and go."

"Yeah Frank has told me about the odd one or two." She grinned wickedly. "He even told me about you."

Cassy felt herself blushing. "That was ages ago Kellie and nothing happened between us, I promise."

Kellie laughed. "Oh Cassy, the look on your face is priceless. I know nothing serious ever happened as Frank was very quick to reassure me when I was speechless."

"You were?"

"Yeah, don't take this the wrong way but I thought that one woman having been with two men, whom are close partners, was a bit icky."

Cassy was silent and for a brief moment Kellie thought she had offended her until she started to giggle. "Yuk, I know what you mean. Ponch never had a chance with me as I was smitten with his partner."

"It's all worked out for the best then, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Cassy agreed, "It certainly has."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, a comfortable silence listening to the sounds around them. Several different birds chirped back and forth, the wind rustling through the needle like leaves of the pine trees, a squirrel or something similar scurrying up a nearby trunk. Kellie's tummy rumbled, she looked at her watch and saw it was now close to 1pm. She needed a drink of water and Cassy would too even more so.

"Kell," Cassy whispered.

"Yeah," Kellie answered, wondering why she was whispering, it's not like anyone was going to hear them out here.

"I need to pee."

"Oh," she looked around. "Go duck behind that bush over there, no one will see you."

Cassy scooted off as Jason came back, thankfully from the opposite direction. His face was covered in small scratches and abrasions.

Kellie gasped. "What happened to you?"

"I tried to climb up a tree to see where we were, but alas I'm no tree climber," he grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I can see that." She smiled. Lowering her voice Kellie spoke quickly, not wanting Cassy to hear. "You didn't see any sign of them, did ya?"

He shook his head. "Nah nothing, they're the least of our worries. As far as I can tell we seem to be in the middle of this damn forest."

Cassy wandered back, seeing the worry on their faces she frowned. "What's wrong?"

Kellie didn't want to alarm her but she couldn't lie to her either. "We're further into the forest than we thought we were."

"So we really are lost?"

"Yeah," Kellie answered slowly, expecting Cassy to break down in tears or something.

But she didn't, surprising the other two when she looked up trying to see where the sun was. "We need water so we should be heading for the waterfall." She thought for a moment. "I think we should try this direction." She pointed to the opposite direction Jason had come back from.

Kellie and Jason stared at her, mouths agape.

"What?" she asked in surprise, seeing their strange looks.

"I'm sorry Cass." Kellie stepped towards her. "We didn't mean to stare at you, but..." she hesitated not wanting to offend her. "I was expecting you to burst into tears, not figure out which way to go. You surprised us."

"Oh," she said sounding like she was offended, but then she smiled. "I don't blame you, I was a weeping mess but I do know a bit about hiking and such. I've been up here a few times with Jon. Remember Kell where the sun set last night? The waterfall is to the North of that, so we need to keep the sun behind us, as hard as it is to see through the trees. That waterfall is set in the side of a ridge and it's downhill a lot coz you're heading to where the water pools."

Kellie nodded, seeing what she was getting at. "And that direction does seem to be going downhill more than any other way."

"Yep"

"Sounds good, lead on then," Kellie said, realizing that Cassy was stronger then she thought. She smiled, proud to call her a friend.

They headed off, hoping that they were going in the right direction.


	8. Chapter 8 - Found

Chapter Eight: Found

Jon put the radio mic back in place and locked his truck up. He'd made contact with the closet CHP station that in turn was going to get in touch with Central.

They headed back down the trail, nearly running at times when the going was downhill. Back at the camp site they glanced towards their prisoners, seeing they were where they'd left them they continued on, going back up the trail they'd taken earlier that morning but which seemed like a lifetime ago.

Jon pulled two apples out of the backpack and handed one to Ponch. They munched away as they hurried along, not as fearful as they may have been knowing that those two men were out of harm's way, but still anxious to find their girls.

It was now nearly two in the afternoon, and the day was quite warm. Their major concern being the fact the girls had ran off without any water. The sun was beating down on them, making them sweat and that concerned Ponch greatly.

"How long have they been without water now?" he asked Jon. "It's warm out here for this time of year and that's not gonna help them."

"No it's not, but I doubt if they're moving as quick as we are and if they're deep in the forest there's more cover from the sun," Jon replied.

They walked at a steady pace, making sure they looked along both sides of the trail so they didn't miss any little sign that could help them. So far they'd seen nothing out of the ordinary.

"How sure are you that they're heading for the waterfall?" Ponch asked about ten minutes later.

Jon glanced at him. "I'm not Ponch, but you told me before to think like the girls and that's what I'm doing. Cassy's been up here a few times with me and she's got a good sense of direction, so I'm hoping she heads for the waterfall."

"That makes sense."

They continued on in silence for another ten minutes or so concentrating on not missing anything, before Ponch spoke again. "You frightened me back there, ya know," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Sorry," Jon said. "I scared myself too. I've never felt that enraged before, ever. I hate to think what I would have done if that bastard had done more than just touch Cassy."

"Me too, I would've probably had to arrest you."

"Yeah, most likely," Jon agreed.

They walked on; there was at least another hour to go before reaching the waterfall.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The three of them had been walking for almost an hour, going along at a slow pace as there was no trail to follow. They zigzagged around trees and bushes hoping that they would come across something, anything, soon.

Cassy stopped; she was tired and thirsty and needed a break. She sank down on the ground and leant up against a tree and closed her eyes. Kellie was concerned, of course, but there was nothing she could do for her as they all felt the same way.

Suddenly Cassy's eyes shot open. "Can you hear that?" she exclaimed, which made both Kellie and Jason jump in surprise.

They listened and yes they could hear it too, the roar of the waterfall. They were going in the right direction after all.

They continued on, the noise of the water became louder with every step, but it still took another fifteen minutes to get there. Down on their knees, they each gulped the crystal clear water using their hands. Water had never tasted better.

Kellie hugged Cassy. "You did it Cass, you found the waterfall."

"We all found the waterfall," she corrected with a grin.

"Okay, we all found it, group hug." Kellie could barely contain her excitement and it was contagious, all three of them hugged one another and jumped for joy.

Excitement over, the girls settled down under a tree away from the waterfall, while Jason darted back to the spot where Jon and Ponch had been tied up.

"What now?" Kellie asked Cassy. "Do we start walking back or wait?"

Cassy yawned. "We wait; this pregnant woman isn't going anywhere until she's rested."

"Fair enough," she grinned. She didn't feel like going anywhere at that moment either. Kellie leaned against the tree and listened to the sound of the water rushing downwards. She glanced at Cassy who had closed her eyes; leant up against the hard tree she didn't look comfortable. She nudged her gently and Cassy opened her eyes.

Kellie patted her lap. "You don't look comfortable. Lie down and put your head here."

She did just that. The forest floor wasn't the most pleasant place but it wasn't rock hard, and at that moment Cassy could sleep anywhere. Kellie gently touched her hair and she was soon asleep.

Jason returned and sat down beside them, he smiled when he saw that Cassy was snoozing. He was relieved that nothing too drastic had happened to either of them, he wouldn't have been able to deal with it if it had. He indicated to Kellie that Jon and Ponch had long since freed themselves by the looks of it.

Kellie smiled at him. "Thanks Jason, we wouldn't have got through this without you."

He blushed, not used to praise from anyone much less a woman like Kellie. He thought the world of her, both of them actually, amazed by Kellie's resourcefulness in taking out Nick and Cassy's courage to keep going after the awful fright she'd had. They were both amazing women. "Thanks," he said simply.

They sat together in silence and listened to the waterfall before Jason got restless and wandered off to have a closer look at the water. Kellie closed her eyes but opened them minutes later thinking she'd heard voices, familiar voices over the roar of the water. She looked towards the trail and her face lit up in a huge grin as she watched their loved ones walk towards her. Kellie put a finger to her lips to indicate that Cassy was asleep.

Jon and Ponch couldn't keep the grins off their faces from the moment they spotted Kellie. Jon fearful for a brief second when he didn't see Cassy straight away, until he saw Kellie's signal and realized exactly where his wife was.

Ponch knelt down beside Kellie and placed his hands on either side of her face; he drew her towards him and kissed her softly on the lips. "Hi beautiful," he whispered ever so grateful that she was all right. More and more he was able to see a future with this woman, and surprisingly it didn't frighten him.

Cassy felt the gentle touch to her cheek and someone brushing hair away from her face, she opened her eyes and saw him sitting beside her. She smiled. Jon helped her sit up and pulled her into his arms, he hugged her tightly like he was never going to let go.

They sat in silence for a few minutes; Kellie leaning against Ponch, her head resting on his shoulder while Jon sat cradling Cassy on his lap, his face buried in the sweet smell of her hair.

Feeling her tummy rumble Cassy broke the silence. "I don't suppose you've got anything to eat in that backpack, have you?"

Jon reached for the pack. "Oh God Cass, I wasn't thinking." He fumbled around and pulled out a bag of trail mix and handed it to her. Cassy took a handful and passed the bag to Kellie.

As they munched away, both women began to praise the exploits of the other, confusing both Jon and Ponch who weren't sure who had done what.

Jon held his hand up. "Okay," he said, his blue eyes twinkling now that the drama was over. "How's about one at a time? So we poor men can understand what you're saying?"

Cassy giggled. "Okay. You should have seen Kellie, she flew at that man like there was no tomorrow and whacked him one with a tree branch. You'd have been so proud of her Ponch."

"I am," Ponch grinned, clasping Kellie's hand. "We heard about that, they were calling you a mad woman."

Kellie's eyes opened wide. "You came across them again? We knew you'd been tied up by them and got away. But they found you again?" she asked in disbelief, a shiver surging through her body.

"Actually, we found them," Ponch said. Noticing her discomfort he drew her closer. "They were near camp, but a few well timed blows and a bit of nifty rope tying by my partner, and they weren't going anywhere. Hopefully they've been taken away by now."

"Thank goodness for that." Kellie breathed a sigh of relief. "They were nasty and smelly."

"Yeah, we'd noticed," Jon agreed. "One of them said his son had run off with you. What happened to him?"

The girls glanced at one another, not sure how to answer Jon's question. Kellie knew Jason should be brought in for questioning over his involvement with locking the men up in that container, but she also knew he was essentially a good person who had repaid his mistake a thousand times over by helping Cassy the way he did. They wouldn't be seeing him again; he'd have taken off the minute he spotted Jon and Ponch.

"He ran off," Cassy finally answered. She didn't like stretching the truth like that, especially to her husband, but she owed Jason so much.

"Oh," Jon said, not at all surprised. "We'll found out where he lives through his father, and visit him at home. He's got questions to answer."

"What'll happen to him?" Cassy asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"He'll be charged probably," answered Jon. "Ironic isn't it? His father started all this to keep us away from him, but in the end he's led us straight to him."

"Couldn't you forget he was even here?" Cassy dabbed at her eyes, trying not to think about what could have happened if Jason hadn't helped her.

Jon looked at her closely. "Okay, what aren't you telling us?"

Kellie spoke up. "While I was dealing with that animal, Jason helped Cassy get away. It may have been a very different situation if he hadn't helped her."

"I see." Jon nodded. "Anything else?"

"He helped us a lot on the way here, pushing bushes and things out of the way so it was easier on us, especially for Cass."

"You're putting us in a difficult position you know, and yourself too Kellie."

"I know." She nodded. "But as far as I'm concerned Jason helped us out of a bad situation and whatever he'd done before I don't care about. He's a good person who deserves a second chance."

Jon put his arm around Cassy and rested his hand on her stomach, while he thought it out. It went against everything he stood for to be even thinking about it, but on the other hand Cassy meant the world to him. Still pondering, his hand flat against the curve of his wife's ever growing tummy, he felt a flutter inside her for the first time. He looked into her eyes as she nodded. He had his answer. If Kellie thought Jason deserved a second chance that was good enough for him.

"You know," Jon said, drawing his wife in closer. "I can't place him in that yard, and he had nothing to do with tying us up, so I guess he hasn't got anything to answer. What do you think partner?"

Ponch grinned. Who was he to disagree with his partner's judgement? The girls were safe and sound; their assailants were caught and would be dealt with. What did it matter if someone who'd done the right thing was left alone? "I couldn't agree more. I didn't get that good a look at him; it may or may not have been the man I saw in the yard that day."

Kellie wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you."

Jon looked at his watch; it was now 3:30pm. "We should get going, or we'll never get back."

"Yeah," agreed Ponch. "I've had enough of this camping caper, let's go home."

"Amen to that Ponch."

The End.


End file.
